Diversity at Northern Colorado

• Link 1
• Link 2
• Link 3
• Link 4
• Link 5
• Link 6

• Diversity Statement
• Diversity Advisory Council
• Communications
• Academic Planning
• About UNC
• Home

October 3, 2006

Dear Diversity Advisory Council Members,

Thank you for agreeing to share your valuable time and expertise with the University of Northern Colorado. The Diversity Advisory Council will play a vital role in the transformation that is under way on our campus.

We place great value on community engagement at the University of Northern Colorado. It was crucial to our beginning as the State Normal School 117 years ago. If not for the community members who stepped up to augment limited state funding, the cornerstone of our first building would not have been laid in 1890. We, in turn, take our responsibility to our community and state very seriously. Some 90 percent of our students are Colorado residents. Our graduates are the state’s bedrock—teachers, principals, nurses, artists, and business and community leaders.

During a long-range comprehensive planning process called Charting the Future, we made it a priority to foster a campus community that is inclusive and welcoming of diversity in the broadest sense. Our obligation to students and society to prepare global citizens requires us to take a fresh look at diversity.

Foremost, we want to create a campus culture that attracts diverse, competent students and employees, values their diversity, treats them with dignity and respect, and promotes their success. We want to prepare students to be contributing members of a diverse and changing global society. We want to make positive differences on our campus and in our community. And we know this won’t be easy.

We are committed to a multi-year initiative involving every member of the Northern Colorado campus community and many people beyond our campus. We will know we are succeeding when our campus becomes significantly more diverse and campus community members can articulate positive changes and how the changes affect them. We must also cultivate relationships with diverse, competent people who are willing to serve as long-term resources to the university.

The Diversity Advisory Council represents many collective years experience. We need your advice. We are asking you to take an honest look at the University of Northern Colorado—to learn about us, assess what we’re doing, and advise us as we move forward. This is not about asking for a stamp of approval. We are committed to respecting your time and your opinions as we work together toward fundamental, systemic culture change on our campus.

Sincerely,

Kay Norton